The number of flashers and peeping toms reported to police has rocketed in Plymouth - and the city now has a higher than average rate of perverts.

Exclusive analysis of figures from the Home Office has revealed that there were 55 cases of people exposing themselves or spying on others recorded by police in Plymouth in the 12 months to September 2017.

That’s up from 29 instances of exposure or voyeurism recorded in the area over the same period the year before - almost double.

The city also has a higher rate of flashers and peeping toms than the rest of England and Wales.

The 55 crimes translates to roughly 21 displays of perverted behaviour for every 100,000 people who live in Plymouth - much higher than the national average.

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Police recorded crimes of exposure and voyeurism in the 12 months to September

Police recorded crimes of exposure and voyeurism in the 12 months to September

Across England and Wales, there were 9,311 recorded cases of people exposing their genitals in public or getting off on secretly observing people.

That was up from 8,345 in the previous 12 months and works out as 16 instances for every 100,000 people.

Responding to the figures, a spokesperson for the Women’s Equality Party - whose campaign #WEcount aims to reclaim Britain’s streets for women - said: “This is another worrying indicator that the UK is failing to tackle the problems of violence and harassment.

“Whether this is a result of more people coming forward, greater awareness of the crime, or more incidents, to deal with this problem we have to understand that voyeurism and exposure crimes are part of the spectrum of violence against women and girls.

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The number of peeping toms has been on the rise (Image: Jeff Pachoud/AFP/Getty/Stock Image)

“They stem from a culture which encourages too many men to think of women as objects of their gratification, rather than as their equals.

“As is the case with other forms of sexual violence, it is likely many more incidents are going unreported to the authorities because the victims have little faith that the criminal system will take them seriously or pursue justice.

“Better enforcement, prevention and prosecution are all required, but we can only address these crimes by tackling the inequalities in society which sustain them.”

Sarah Green, co-director of the End Violence Against Women Coalition, said: "Increased reporting of these crimes might mean that women are feeling more confident that they will be taken seriously and perhaps action to stop the perpetrator will follow.